A High and a Low

1. 

Stoned in the shower, I’m singing 

along to a tune I’ve heard 

but never caught the name of; 

step outside of the box and consider:

the other half you’re seeking 

is something you must grow yourself. 

Step outside of the box and consider: 

you are a protagonist at the precipice of a 

novel nowhere near completion -- 

get digging, darling, the answer isn’t 

out in the darkness, get singing, 

sweetheart, you’ll figure the rest

out eventually.

2. 

Demons find ways to devour; there was

never a worse time for half-healed 

wounds.

You’re in for a hurting if you think hell 

is worse than here; 

there’s no need for proof, be as wrong

about me as you want. 

And fuck you for judging how I

swallow hard pills; 

I never chose this pain but I’m handling it; 

I never asked for tragedy so I’m Hamleting it. 

To be or not to be has never been clearer; 

everyone talks but no one’s a hearer; 

what do you see when you look in 

the mirror? I see nothing. 

Demons, demon hands, demon feet, 

demon eyes demon teeth demons growling 

and demons drowning poor Ophelia in the creek.

About the Author

Marilyn Sieger is a writer from Arcadia University.